What is it like to work with Ryan, The Calculus Tutor?
I conduct all sessions via videochat (primarily Zoom). You are not required to turn on your camera, but my camera will always be on. In addition, I utilize an online collaboration tool called Miro. I create an individual Miro board for each student where all of our notes and problem-solutions live. You’ll have access to your board 24-7 simply via the share link. Both Miro and Zoom allow you to connect without making an account or logging in to any additional services.
For your convenience, I’ll send you links to our Zoom meeting and Miro board about 15 minutes before our scheduled session. While these links rarely change, many students enjoy the convenience of the links showing up at the top of their inbox just before each session.
In most tutoring sessions, we will work through homework or test-prep problems assigned by your teacher. I use the assigned problems as our example problems when teaching the material. I understand that tutoring is extra time you are devoting to math, so I want to help you make progress on actual classwork. That said, I’m happy to spend our time working on whatever feels most important to you. And if you’re unsure of the best use of our time, I can also help you figure that out.
As often as possible you will be working through the problems and explaining to me what you are doing. Doing the math yourself is key to learning and improving your math confidence. Observing you making sense of the problem and applying what you currently understand allows me to discover how best to support you. I then coach you through the tough parts, teaching you the relevant concepts and techniques as you need them.
My primary expectation of all of my students is that they try, even (and especially) when they don’t feel confident. And I know that can be hard and scary. That’s why I always trust my students to do their best. I observe your level of confidence and meet you where you’re at. Then, together, we build that confidence, one problem, one step at a time.